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Parents, Activists Again Push For Removal Of Deteriorating School Trailers At P.S. 48

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Parents and community advocates held a rally Friday morning against the continued use of school trailers housing kindergarteners at P.S. 48 in Washington Heights.

The trailers, known as Temporary Classroom Units, have been used for kindergaten students for more than 10 years.

Parents and advocates say the condition at the trailers continue to deteriorate and they want them gone before the new school year begins in September, WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported.

They're concerned about the conditions, citing a flood which created a mold problem and a broken bathroom. They say the trailers have been plagued by "mold, mildew, leaking roofs, thin walls and vermin in the crawl space between the bottom of the trailers and the cement playground."

"Safety is our priority and to this end we maintain our TCUs and make repairs when needed," the Department of Education said in a statement. "At [P.S.] 48, the bathroom sink had a non-working flush valve and it was repaired last week. There was a leak by the sink and this also was repaired. There is no active mold. We will continue to monitor conditions."

Parents Demonstrate Against School Trailers At P.S. 48
Parents, activists demonstrate against school trailers at P.S. 48 in Washington Heights on June 13, 2014. (credit: Paul Murnane/WCBS 880)

Back in April, the DOE said it shared the feeling that the trailers and more than 300 others at schools across New York City should be removed, Murnane reported. The DOE said its capital budget would accomplish that goal.

Parents Rally Against School Trailers At P.S. 48

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